THREE KEYS
FOR AUBURN DEFENSE

1Lay off the blitzing: Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston presents an unenviable quandary for the Tigers: sit back and hope the redshirt freshman makes a mistake, or apply as much pressure as possible? The answer might be unexpected, but Winston has proven himself the most uncommon of redshirt freshmen — the kind who makes smart decisions in the face of pressure. And, given his 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame, it often takes more than one defender to bring him down. There will be times to mix in the blitz, but the Tigers need to be judicious.

2Game of their lives: Make no mistake, blitzing or not, Auburn must get pressure on Winston, who will pick apart a shaky secondary if he is afforded enough time. That makes it imperative for the Tigers’ front four to play its best game yet. Even against Florida State’s stout offensive line, Dee Ford, Carl Lawson, Gabe Wright and Elijah Daniel have the talent to get to Winston. They’ll need help, too — and Auburn rotates several linemen throughout the course of a game — from the likes of Nosa Eguae and Montravius Adams.

3Watch Nick O’Leary: O’Leary, the Seminoles’ tight end, is the X factor in a loaded offense. The junior has been Winston’s safety valve, with 33 catches for 557 yards and seven touchdowns. It’s impossible for any defense — let alone Auburn’s — to cover all of Florida State’s options, but Winston may be at his most comfortable finding O’Leary while the defense looks elsewhere. If the Tigers feed the mismatch at tight end, O’Leary will find the end zone.